Mike Cordes sits on a riverbank, taking in the sounds of the jungle: insect wings buzz, the river murmurs under a carpet of water lilies, a Kingfisher chirps nearby. He is listening for the rumble of motorcycle engines which will herald the arrival of his medical missions trainees. The trainees live in a remote village and have faced an arduous 2-day journey to attend training: traveling on foot and via motorcycles (when possible). Towards the end of their expedition, the plan was for Cordes to meet them here and guide them the rest of the way.
“Here in the mountains of Mindanao,” says Cordes, “there are communist rebel forces. Because of civil unrest and cultural changes, we have also seen much division within the tribal groups.”
“As I was sitting by the river,” he remembers, “I could see, about 40 meters ahead, a person watching me.”
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